|
SSA ALLIANCE WITH PUBLIC CITIZEN MISGUIDED, DETRIMENTAL TO CONSUMERS
By Wally Stevens, ASDA President and ASDA/CITAC Shrimp Task Force Chairman
April 23, 2004 - When the Southern Shrimp Alliance filed its antidumping petition on
December 31, 2003, many in our industry speculated that it just a matter of time before
SSA would take whatever steps necessary to win its case by playing the food safety card
and by discrediting world-wide aquaculture operations.
With yesterday's announcement by Public Citizen, an anti-trade group founded by Ralph
Nader, that it is launching a campaign to "get people to stop eating shrimp," the SSA has
now seems to be committed to attempting to bring down the entire shrimp industry.
Indeed, SSA has decided to "make a deal with the devil" by signing on to a completely
false campaign to scare consumers about the health and safety of the shrimp they eat.
Public Citizen has made no secret of its "communication with the Southern Shrimp
Alliance"; we must conclude then that SSA has given its blessing to a campaign that
(believe it or not) tells people to stop eating shrimp!
To quote from an interview with the anti-shrimp campaign's director, "U.S. consumers
are going to have to revere shrimp as a delicacy once again rather than a common food
they pick up at McDonald's." (Quoted in the WAVE, April 22, 2004.)
Aside from the obvious elitist implications of the anti-shrimp edict (only those who can
afford to buy the delicacy can have access to it), the campaign's message that there are
health risks associated with consuming farm-raised shrimp is completely false.
SSA member companies need to provide the seafood industry answers to the following
questions:
Why is the SSA partnering with people who make no secret of their attempt to tear
down our industry?
Why is SSA striking a deal with an organization that on previous occasions has
attempted to shut down the domestic shrimp industry for its problems with excessive
by-catch and use of chemicals in processing?
Does SSA support the campaign to convince consumers to stop eating shrimp?
Public Citizen is out to destroy the shrimp industry though a disinformation campaign
meant to scare consumers. It is false, it is wrong and it is shameful. The campaign
threatens the entire shrimp industry, farmed or wild-caught, imported or domestic.
It is suicidal for SSA to endorse these health-safety scare tactics – all in the name of
winning antidumping taxes. The SSA should be careful for what it wishes. If consumers
stop eating shrimp because of these lies, there isn’t a duty high enough to keep SSA
members in business.
Visit the CITAC Website at www.citac.info/shrimp
Visit the Guest Columns in The Wave Online
Download the PDF document here
Contacts:
Wally Stevens, Slade Gorton & Company, Inc. 617-541-3114
Paul Nathanson, PBN Company, 202-466-6210 or Jeanne McKnight 1-877-206-ASDA
|
